Search Results for -Product Type: Toys Age: Early Elementary School Years

2004 Award

My First Puzzles(Infantino $12.99 Score:) There are 6 big cardboard puzzles that you’ll want to introduce one at a time. There are 2 two-piece puzzles, 2 four-piece puzzles, and 2 six-piece puzzles with handsome graphics—ducks, monkeys, and ’gators. Also fun, an Alphabet Train ($12.99 ): each train has a letter in upper and lower case, and an object that starts with the sound of the letter. Still more challenging, Counting & Shapes Floor Puzzle ($12 ) a 30-piece train that’s more complex. Kids need to find geometric shapes before they can figure out the sequence of the trains and then add the animals to the top of the train. This takes some patience and a little help for beginners. 4–7. (800) 365-8182.

Puzzibilities Dump Truck and School Bus(Small World Toys $10 Score:) These handsome puzzles are just right for beginners. Pieces with images lift out with little red knobs, and images are also below the pieces for matching. We especially like the Dump Truck and School Bus with multicultural casts. Favorite Toys and What Am I? will also be enjoyed. (800) 421-4153.
Also top rated, Farm Friends (Battat $4.99 ), with nine animals to know and name. (800) 247-6144 x280.

Garden-to-Go(Alex $19.99 Score:) Preschoolers love the magic of seeing things grow. Apartment dwellers can garden on a windowsill. For the backyard set, more elaborate child-sized tools are available. New for 2004, Garden-to-Go (Alex $19.99 ) is an organizer for the young gardener. Bucket has a plastic container inside for wet "stuff," plus outside pockets for the small trowel, rake, and shovel that come with the set. Also comes with a pack of seeds and gardening glove. Our tester, thrilled with the results brought her plants in for show and tell. (888) 666-2539. Plastic Garden Tools (Little Tikes $2 each for small tools/$13 for a set of three larger tools ) are safer for preschoolers than metal. An accidental swing in the wrong direction will not mean a trip to the ER. They also don’t have splintery handles as some metal tools do, and won’t rust when they are inevitably left outside. Also recommended, Little Tikes’ Little Landscaper Lawn & Garden Cart ($17 ). Unlike a tippy wheelbarrow, it has two front wheels for stable pushing action. (800) 321-0183.

Doctor's & Vet's Kits(Learning Resources $25 Score:) Doctors no longer make house calls, and even the traditional black bag from Fisher-Price is gone. Most of the medical kits do not come with cases large enough for easy re-packing. The roomiest is Pretend & Play Doctor Set 2004 PLATINUM AWARD (Learning Resources $24.95 ). Comes in a large plastic case with 19 pieces including a stethoscope with heartbeat and cough, a beeper, a cellphone, a blood pressure cuff, and other chunky tools. (888) 800-7893. Fisher-Price’s Medical Kit (Fisher-Price $15.99 ) comes in a smaller plastic case with almost the same basic gear as the original "black bag." (800) 432-5437. For playing Veterinarian, Small Miracles’ Let’s Pretend (Small Miracles $29.99 1?2) has a child-sized jacket, puppy, and stethoscope and other medical tools. (888) 281-1798.

Dr. Seuss Hand Puppets (Manhattan Toy $16 Score:) The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Max, and even Horton are some of the favorite Seuss characters that you can bring to life with these easy-to-use hand-puppets. New for , the Lorax. Also fun, Scufflies puppets ($10 each) done in wacky purple, blue, or red fabric—easy to operate for small puppeteers. Still top rated, Handy Work Heroes ($10 each ) community workers. 3 & up. (800) 541-1345.

Doll Houses Comparison Shopper(Brio $50 Score:) Dollhouses should be kept simple for little hands. In wooden dollhouses, there are three great collections. You can’t go wrong with any of them. From Plan Toys: Choose either of their modern-looking A-frames ($90–$125 ) with open roofs for easy access, or their Classic Dollhouse (Brio $70/$50 for add-on basement ). PLATINUM AWARD ’01. New for , a grand two-story Victorian Dollhouse ($200 1?2) with two staircases (which fall down too easily) and removable partitions for small-scale remodeling.
From Small World Toys: Ryan’s Room Deluxe Home Is Where the Heart Is Dollhouse, three stories high (Small World Toys $100 ) PLATINUM AWARD ’03. An add-on balcony and garage with ramp are available ($50) or consider their smaller Home Again, Home Again A-Frame ($130) that can be enlarged with an add-on basement and stairs ($70). Multicultural families and furnishings for both companies are sold separately and run between $15–$20 per room. We thought the Ryan’s Room Making Muscles exercise equipment set was a sign of the times. From Alex: My Dollhouse, Platinum Award ’01 ($169 ), has three floors done in bright colors/patterns and comes with 22 pieces of furniture. Brio (888) 274-6869/Small World Toys (800) 421-4153/Alex (800) 666-2539.
Fisher-Price’s plastic Special Edition Townhouse ($99.99 ) is fully furnished and has sound effects that our testers loved; crackling fireplace, ringing phone, running water, chiming doorbell, and lights! 4 & up. (800) 432-5437.

Tonka All-Terrain Crane(Funrise $29.99 Score:) Our three-year old tester enjoyed making the crane go up and down while he placed different toys on the hook. It took some time to get the hang of making it work (one switch is counterintuitive) but it had lasting play value. We also recommend the Lights and Sound Dump Truck (Funrise $14.99 ) Comes with a construction hat, figure and road crew accessories. 3 & up. (800) 882-3808.

Thomas & Friends Mr. Jolly's Chocolate Factory(RC2 Learning Curve $50 Score:) We like the "magic" of this chocolate-making factory (even if it’s pretend)! The Quarry Mine Tunnel ($25 ) got a high rating even though some of the trains got stuck going through; they liked "the momentum as they go through the tunnel." The Clock Tower ($25) is controlled by turning the roof, which makes the drawbridge go up and down. Our two favorite accessories: the Rescue Hospital ($50 )—press Harold (the helicopter) down on the helicopter pad and the ambulance pops out; and the Carousel ($50 ) plays music as it spins the magnetic circus animals. 3 & up. PLATINUM AWARD ’03. (800) 704-8697.

Musini Preschool(Small world toys $39.99 Score:) When your kids move, they activate the lights and music on the Musini console. A fun stomping-around lesson in cause and effect. This new smaller version has a clever listening game where kids have to respond when they hear particular instruments. Also new but not ready for testing, Musini Magic Wand. (800) 220-3669.